Though I differ with Edwards in his Calvinism, I have great respect and admiration for him.
Few can follow in his footsteps intellectually. He was a brilliant man in not just theology, but in every area science he turned his mind to. Intellectually and spiritually, he lived in exciting and changing times. Along with Whitefield, he helped shape a nation in ways often ignored or overlooked.
Edwards is referred to as one of the greatest theologians ever born in the USA. But he was not a man to simply theorize about spiritual things, he was active as a preacher, pastor, evangelist, and missionary.
Jonathan and Sarah Edwards are rare examples in church history. All too often heroes of the faith who were used mightily in the church failed tragically at home. They are one of the few exceptions. In another book, “Married to a Difficult Man”, the author traces the descendants of the Edwards. Their faith and exemplary lives were emulated in the family line for generations.
His one weakness which I think led to several battles in his life, which could also been seen as a strength, is that he did not have a political mind. By that I mean, he made a few decisions as a leader which were correct, but perhaps were ill-timed or communicated badly. If he had managed situations differently, then he could have avoided some challenges. However, he just did not seem to see the need to manage situations, he believed so thoroughly in logic and reason he anticipated others to do the same. Sadly, that is rarely the case. Instead of responding to his argument, on occasion people responded with anger and bias.
This book was written by a scholar and it shows. It is well-written and researched extensively. At the end of the book he provides numerous resources to study further.
This is the third review in a row where I will say this.
Your children want heroes – give them something better than Ironman or Superman, give them real life heroes like Jonathan and Sarah Edwards.
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